Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What could possibly be better suited to the always-quotable wisecracks of beloved SoL captive Joel Robinson and his faithful robot sidekicks, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, than a monster movie about a giant flying turtle? The answer is four other movies about same flying turtle! Behold the first-ever themed collection of Mystery Science Theater 3000 classics: all five Gamera episodes from the particularly fertile third season of the long-running cult comedy television series packaged in their own shell!

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Mystery Science Theater 3000's verbal brawls with the much-maligned Japanese monster Gamera--you know, the flying turtle--are included in this limited-edition boxed set, which buffets the riffing with some impressive and informative extras. The Gamera films were a staple of MST3K from its humble beginnings as Minneapolis UHF programming, and when the Satellite of Love moved to Comedy Central in the early '90s, the American re-edits released by distributor Sandy Frank were among the show's most popular episodes. All five of the MST3K Gamera episodes, culled from the show's third season in 1991 and featuring series creator Joel Hodgson alongside robots Tom Servo and Crow, are included in the set, as are some of the show's most memorable skits: in Gamera, Tom croons a heartfelt tribute to the film's lost pet, Tibby the Turtle, and head writer/future host Mike Nelson turns up as the giant monster himself to reveal the true nature of his relationship with boy hero Kenny, while Gamera vs. Gaos features the cast's aborted presentation of their opera "Gameradammerung," and Gamera vs. Guiron and Gamera vs. Zigra offer the SOL's rousing "Gamera Song" and several berserk variations. None of the MST3K Gamera experiments have been available on home video prior to this release, so longtime fans can finally retire their worn pre-records and enjoy the episodes in glorious, uncut form.

In addition to the swell limited-edition tin packaging, MST3K vs. Gamera includes a trio of enjoyable featurettes that pay tribute to both the episodes and the films themselves. So Happy Together: A Look Back at MST3K and Gamera features interviews with Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, and Jim Mallon, who recall the show's long history with Gamera and the joys and pains of watching the films; Gamera vs. the Chiodo Brothers is an amusing and nostalgic look at men-in-monster-suit films with Stephen, Edward, and Charles Chiodo, better known as the creators of Killer Klowns from Outer Space; and Gamera Obscura is an exhaustive oral history of the Gamera series, from its cultural origins to its late '90s revival, by Japanese fantasy film expert August Ragone. Mike Nelson's wrap segments as Jack Perkins from the syndicated MST Hour are also included, as are the original Japanese trailers for each film and a quintet of original mini posters by artist Steve Vance. --Paul Gaita

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

This set is a departure from all previous and recent MST3K DVD set releases in that it contains five episodes all from a single series of movies, Gamera! All five episodes are hosted by show creator, Joel Hodgson and all are from the Comedy Central era of the show. If you've ever wanted to see a robot sing a love song to a turtle or you're a fan of the "Gameradamerung" then you must buy this set!

* 302- GAMERAThis 1965 black-and-white film from Daiei studios in Japan was their attempt to cash in on the popularity of a certain other series of films made in Japan about a giant, mutated reptile. While Gamera may be an ersatz Godzilla to some, he's got his own weirdness to recommend him. A nuclear explosion, what else, awakens a giant, mutated, prehistoric flying, fire-breathing turtle from his icy prison to wreak havoc upon the world. A young boy who is especially fond of turtles develops an unusual bond with the monster. The American dubbing and added scenes make the film seem weirder and goofier than ever. This is a must-see episode for all MSTies because of gags like Tom Servo singing "Tibby Oh Tibby" and Gamera's visit, played by Mike Nelson, to the SOL via the hexfield view screen. MST3K's riffing machine was in full gear by season three and this is a top-notch episode with hilarious jokes all during the movie and terrific sketches during the host segments as well. This is a contender for the list of top ten all-time greatest episodes.

* 304- GAMERA VS. BARUGONThis is a 1966 follow-up to 1965's Gamera. Barugon is a giant, mutated lizard who shoots a powerful beam of energy from his back. He also has "ram-tongue" action. He attacks Japan and Gamera comes to the rescue. It's just that simple and the riffing by Joel and the 'Bots is just that great.Read more ›

Shout Factory once again shocked the world by obtaining the rights to the entire Gamera MST3K series ! Volume 21 - MST3K vs. Gamera is the first 5 DVD set containing all the Gamera movies done during the shows 3rd season. Season three is where MST3K really began to take off...

Episode 302 - GAMERA - a fantastic entry in the series...this is a great episode..great riffs, Tom Servo singing Tibby, Oh Tibby with Crow getting involved, Joel's salad invention, Mike Nelson as Gamera plus that old expression " A whole lot " more...In Japan, Gamera was created by rival Toho company Daiei to compete with Godzilla. And just like the first Godzilla, this film was shot in crisp black and white. Arguably this wasn't a bad film at all, and is considered one of the big 3 in the Gamera series. The premise of the boy who loves Gamera can be a little silly but as far as a story and special effects go, this was a notch about the others...

Episode 304 - Gamera vs. Barugon - the amazing sequel to Gamera has our child friendly turtle escape his imprisonment ( the Z plan from the first film) to face Barugon. Barugon is a unique creation with his rainbow rays, and his giant tongue which is used for a battering ram and can exhale cold, rendering everything and everyone frozen.Another fantastic episode with fun inventions & segments ( the monster set sketch was awesome) Tom asks Joel where was Gamera during this film...the answer is actually, on the cutting room floor as the MST3K version does edit the initial fight scene between Gamera and Barugon.For those like me that have seen this film in its NON MST3K version we have all seen where Gamera gets frozen by Barguon in their first battle. In the MST version we just see Gamera frozen...Read more ›

This is for the Gamera vs MST set in the tin collectors box. Mine was delivered by Amazon very promptly on the release date, but damaged/dented badly on two sides. Curiously no apparent damage was done to the cardboard box it was shipped in. (Huh?) I requested a replacement, and Amazon got one to me in 24 hours. UNBELIEVABLE! (I suggest Amazon use a larger sturdier box for this item in the future.) Others have given ample info on the movies. Here's my two cents:

I LOVE MST3K!I LOVE Giant Monster Movies! (Kaiju)I SPECIFICALLY love Gamera. I believe it is not possible to describe the concept of Gamera to the uninitiated without a smile coming to your face. Example:"He's a giant flying jet propelled monster turtle that defends the Earth from other monsters. Oh, and he loves children..." Numerous versions of all the Gamera movies are available on Amazon. I own most of them. Some releases are good (Shout Factory are the standouts), and some are...not so much.

I have not watched all of the MST versions of these movies, so I am very very happy they are being released in this set. I have seen snippets of each, and have laughed myself silly on numerous occasions. I specifically love the Gamera theme songs:"Gamera is really neat, Gamera is filled with Meat, We're all eating Gamera."

Giant Monsters and MST3K are a match made in heaven! My very favorite MST3K episdode is Godzilla Versus Megalon. After this Gamera set, I pray that the Gods of confusing licensing agreements find a way to allow that to become legally available.

I am updating this review as I watch all the movies.Disk 1: Gamera: Very good Episode with an excellent Behind the scenes featurette. Trace never heard of Gamera before MST? Unbelieveable!Read more ›

Forums

December 6th will see the release of Mystery Science Theater 3000 - XXII on DVD. The 4-disc set will include Time of the Apes (Episode #306), Mighty Jack (#314), The Violent Years (#610), and The Brute Man (702).

You should buy the originals themselves separately. They've all been remastered in all their widescreen glory with different audio tracks for original japanese or the english dubs, even the Sandy Frank versions on some. They look fantastic. Check 'em out.